The Demigod Rescue
by RandomWriter1996
Summary: Demigods are disappearing and there are only 4 people who know why. Follow along as a new batch of demigods work with some familiar faces to rescue the stolen demigods. R&R! This is my first story so some constructive criticism is appreciated. Some OCs and some Cannon. Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. I only own my OCs. Rated T cuz I'm paranoid. Disregard of HOO. Set 2 years after TLO
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

** I stood over my bed, the black suitcase in front of me filled with as much of my stuff as I could jam in it. Truth is most of the stuff I need can fit into this suitcase with no problem, which is great for me; the lighter the pack, the faster I can travel. The bag had a luggage tag on it that said 'Property of Kyle Scott, Son of Ares'. Let me just answer the obvious question. Yes, by Ares it means the Greek god Ares, god of war. I am a half-blood, or demigod to be technical, meaning one of my parents is human and the other is a god. A few more hours and I'd be on my way to the happiest place on Earth for a demigod like me, Camp Half-blood. **

** Camp Half-blood is this camp that was created to house and train demigods. Camp Half-blood is the safest place on Earth for demigods, well other than Olympus of course, but most demigods aren't usually welcome there. The camp has magical borders that keep out any monsters sent to kill the demigods. The borders are reinforced by the Golden Fleece, a magic fleece that holds the power to heal anything or anyone. The fleece hangs off of the lowest branch of a pine tree that stands at the crest of Half-blood Hill, the hill that sets the borders for the valley where the camp is. The tree is a symbol of protection for the camp. About ten or eleven years ago, a group of half-bloods came to camp led by a satyr, half goat, half man beings that the camp use to find demigods and bring them to the safety of camp when they are ready. These three half-bloods are some of the most well-known around camp these days. Of the three was Annabeth Chase, a girl who at the time was about seven or eight and is now known as Architect for the new Olympus and a very capable fighter that helped bring us to victory in the war against the Titans two years ago. Another was Luke Castellan, a boy of about fourteen at the time but eventually became weak under the pressure of the Titans and was forced to become the new host body for the lord of Titans Kronos himself. He was seen as a traitor, but died a hero as he sacrificed himself to kill Kronos. The third was a girl by the name of Thalia Grace. She was twelve when Annabeth, Luke, and she arrived at the camp, being pursued by a Cyclops. She urged her friends and the satyr helping them to camp to cross into camp without her as she tried to fend off the Cyclops. As she was sacrificing herself for her friends, her father, god of the skies and god of all gods Zeus, took pity on her and turned her into a pine tree with the power to protect the borders of camp. About five years later, when Luke began to be used as a pawn for the Titans' rise to power, he poisoned the tree. The only way to save the camp was to find the Golden Fleece. Annabeth was one of the half-bloods to be on this quest. Her and her friend Percy returned, but the Fleece's power was so strong it brought Thalia back to life, although she was brought back as a girl of about fourteen or fifteen rather than seventeen or eighteen like she should have been. Ever since then the borders have been protected by the Golden Fleece.**

** The Camp is home to any demigods who choose to stay. Most only stay for the summer, but anyone can stay all year long if they want to. I usually only end up staying for the summer before returning to the hotel room that I live in with my mom and my half-brother. But I had a feeling I wouldn't be returning to the hotel this year, especially not after the incident in school last week. **

** I turned to my dresser and caught a look at myself in the mirror. My black hair was sticking up in about a million different directions. I guess it's kind of like the 'bedhead' look. You would think it would look bad, but it kind of completed my image. My hair was always a mess. I couldn't do anything to fix it. Not that I really cared what it looked like. I followed my reflection in the mirror from my hair down to my eyes. They were black, which I had always thought was weird because I had never seen anyone with black eyes before. But every now and then there was a glimmer of orange, almost gold. It made my eyes look as though they were pieces of coal that were smoldering. I had heard that when I am mad, it looks like a full blaze in my eyes, though I obviously have never seen it for myself. I had a smirk on my face, just like my father and my siblings always had. It kind of made me look cocky, like I thought I was the coolest thing in the world. But, again, it completed my image. My eyes drifted down to my neck. I was wearing a necklace with a bead that displayed a trident with a brilliant blaze around it. My best friend, Grace Carter, had a matching bead on a charm hanging off of the pen she always carried with her. She made them for us two years ago, when we had both been claimed by our Olympian Parents. It compiled the symbols of our fathers, the trident being Poseidon (her dad) and the flames being Ares (my dad). My hand flew up and gripped the necklace, feeling the cool and smooth texture of the bead. I thought of Grace and all my other friends waiting for me at camp. I couldn't get there soon enough. **

** I glanced down at the black t-shirt and torn jeans that I was wearing and smiled, thinking of how Grace would force me to change into something more 'cheerful' when she saw me. She never liked my so called 'punk and biker' clothes that I always wore, but she agreed that it was me, and she might have mentioned that my style made me look pretty good. I picked up some last minute things to put in my suitcase, including the multiple Camp Half-blood t-shirts I owned, all folded neatly and standing out bright orange against my dark clothes that were already in the suitcase. I also threw in a couple of pairs of sunglasses and my photo album that contained pictures of me, Grace, and all of our other friends. After I zipped my suitcase closed, I laced up my black boots and took one last look around the small room I had lived in for 5 years. I put on my favorite belt, a black one that had a sheath for my sword. Now I know what you're thinking, 'a kid running around with a sword? How dangerous!' But when you are a demigod, well let's just say you need the protection. I walked over to my dresser and picked up my favorite sunglasses, a pair of all black Ray Bans. The lenses were so dark that even when I'm mad you can't see the flames in my eyes. I hooked them to my belt and picked up a small cellphone that was lying on my dresser. I thought for a minute before turning it off and walking over to my bed to stick it in the small front pocket of my suitcase. Usually, any kid my age wouldn't have thought for a second about bringing their cellphone, but for a half-blood, cellphones send up a signal to every monster within miles that you are there. They are dangerous for us to have, but I couldn't part with my only way to check up on my little brother. I swept my eyes across the room one last time before picking my bag up off my bed and turning off the light, shutting the door as I walked out.**

** "Bye James," I said to my six year old brother, who was sitting at the kitchen table, coloring in a coloring book. I frowned at the thought of him being left all alone with my mom without a chance of me returning. There's no way I would be welcome back here after what happened. It was surprising enough that mom let me stay an extra week. "I'll miss you little man." And I truly would miss him. Even though having a little brother can be a pain, I love him and I feel bad about leaving him to put up with our mom, but he couldn't go where I was going.**

** "Mom, I'm leaving. You know how to contact me if you need me." I shouted to the back bedroom, where my mom was getting ready for a date with some sleezy guy she met at work. Honestly, I didn't need to say anything. She wouldn't care that I was leaving. Even after sixteen years, she was still furious with my dad for getting her pregnant with the, oh how did she say it, devil child? Something like that. She hated me. I was the mistake that never should have happened. I should have run away to Camp years ago, but James needed me. Well now it's too late. James is a strong kid; he'll be okay without me. **

** I ruffled James' hair as I walked to the door. I opened it and turned around to take my last look at the hotel suite that I might never see again. I sighed and turned, walking out the door. I closed the door behind me and casually walked down the hallway to the elevator, my bag slung across my shoulder with one of the long straps. At the lobby, I said goodbye to the doorman and told him to keep an eye on James for me. He knew enough about my mom to know that my brother would need someone to look after him. He promised to check up on him and contact me if anything was wrong. I thanked him before walking out the front doors on to the street.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay so I began this story before I read Heroes Of Olympus, so I know it seems like I modeled Kyle's powers after Leo, but really I thought of the power over fire by myself and then felt stupid when I read The Lost Hero and saw that Leo had the EXACT same power. Sorry about that to anyone who reads this and thinks I stole the idea of that power. Also, I have never been to New York City or Central Park so I kind of made up how I see it :P okay, long author's note is over. Enjoy chapter 2!**

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**Chapter 2:**

**So there I was, a teenage boy wearing a black t-shirt and torn jeans, with black sunglasses and a suitcase hanging off my shoulder in the middle of the sidewalk on a busy street. But nobody gave me any weird looks. Nobody seemed to care that I was wearing black clothes and jeans in the heat of the summer day. Nobody cared about the sword hanging off my belt. People probably thought it was a fake sword and I was going to play with a friend in the park. It was normal to see weird things in New York. That was one reason for camp being just a few miles from the city. No one really noticed the weird things that happened when half-bloods came. People believed what they wanted to believe. That was the point of the Mist, a type of magic that covered magical things from mortals' vision. The Mist causes mortals to see something entirely different; which is great for them. They don't have to see the things we see. They're lucky. **

** I turned on my toe and began walking down the sidewalk. It's too hard to hail a taxi in the middle of New York City, so I usually take a walk to the Queensboro Bridge before I get a taxi. The walk takes about an hour, but it's a nice day so I don't mind it. Actually, sometimes I kind of enjoy the walk. It's not just the fact that I look a bit older than I am, so all the college girls kind of check me out as I walk down the street, which is nice. But it was also nice to be able to walk down the street and see the happy families shopping or walking to Central Park for a nice summer day in the sun. It was a refreshing change from just hanging out with my brother in our hotel suite all day. **

** I suddenly got the feeling I was being followed. I slowed my pace slightly and glanced over my shoulder, as if I had heard something peculiar. I didn't see anything unusual. I started walking again, picking up my pace back to normal. It wasn't unusual for a half-blood to be paranoid. We are generally ADHD, so our minds can go a little crazy sometimes. The ADHD derives from our natural instincts to be fighters. It is quite possibly the trait that keeps us alive in fights. I walked passed families shopping and young people walking their dogs or jogging. I shook my head, trying to clear the bad thoughts away. ****_Calm down Kyle, _****I told myself, ****_you're psyching yourself out. You'll be at camp soon and you will be safe._**** I took a deep breath and watched the people coming in and out of the stores that I passed. I knew it was probably nothing, but I couldn't drop the feeling that I was being watched or followed. I kept my pace up, just enough to hopefully be out of reach of anyone who was following me, but not enough to draw attention to myself. **

** Then I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I suddenly knew danger was near, but on this busy sidewalk, I had no way of knowing whether I was walking away from the danger, or towards it. I dropped my left hand so it seemed to be hanging casually at my side as my right hand kept a firm grip on the strap of my bag. My left hand settled over the hilt of my sword, lightly gripping the handle so it wasn't that noticeable, but I could easily pull it out at a moment's notice. I continued forward, walking absently, my brain knowing exactly where to tell my feet to go. I had to keep telling myself to calm down before I pulled out my sword and made everyone in a miles radius think I was some crazy teenager. I decided it would be safest to cross the street, maybe take a short cut through Central Park. I looked both ways before jogging across the busy New York street. I kept jogging until I reached the park, turning into the gate and slowing down right as I passed under the arch. **

** The park was full of people. I felt safer there. Monsters didn't usually attack in front of this many mortals. I started walking down the pathway that cut through the park. I watched as children ran around without a care in the world, silently praying that they would have normal lives as they grew older and wouldn't turn out to be a demigod like me. Sure, being half-blood wasn't all bad. We got certain powers and we got to fight with real weapons. I mean, come on, who wouldn't like that, right? But it was awful to live your life in fear, and to know that at any moment your life can be taken from you, as fast as cutting thread. Being pursued by monsters was not, by any means, fun. Especially when you are alone and there isn't a person around who can actually help you. And this day was no different. **

** As I continued along the path, I noticed a thinning in the crowds. It was a beautiful day, yet the further I walked the less people there were. Soon I was pretty much alone walking on the path. I started getting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I could tell I was in danger, and now there was no reason for me not to be attacked. There were no mortals around. I walked through an area with more trees, the sun causing more and more shadows to appear around me. Sweat started to form on my left hand, which was now gripping my sword, ready to pull it if I was attacked. The park became quiet. I stopped walking and listened hard, trying to hear any noise. But the park was dead. No noises drifted to my ears.**

** I stood listening, straining to hear something, anything. Suddenly there was a low, deep growl behind me. I knew instantly that I was in trouble. I lifted my bag off my shoulder and threw it to the side of the path. I turned slowly, preparing myself for a fight. When I turned around, I was so surprised that I tripped and fell to the ground as I tried to back up out of the way. A huge black mastiff was standing in front of me, looming over me on the ground, deciding whether to wait for me to get up or to just pounce me right there. It was a hellhound the size of a minivan. It stared at me with glowing red eyes, as if reading my every thought, reaching deep into my soul, trying to find a weakness in me. **

** I backed away, slowly standing up and pulling my sword out as I went, swinging it in a wide arc in front of me. The hellhound seemed a little surprised, backing up slightly as my sword swung so close it almost cut the hellhound's face. The hound growled, preparing to attack. I knew there was no way I could take on this hellhound with just my sword. I glanced around, quickly calculating a plan. Then I turned and ran.**

**I ran down the path, searching for something, anything I could do to get rid of this mutt. Looking over my shoulder to see how close the hound was, I missed the few stairs built into the pathway. Next thing I know, I'm face down on the concrete, the hole in my jeans even bigger than before and warm, sticky blood running down my leg from where my knee hit the ground. I leapt up, brushing aside the pain in my knee and sprinting forward to a spot down the road that had a few sticks were scattered. I leaned down and picked them up as I ran by. A little farther down was some dead grass on the side of the pathway. I could hear the hellhound right behind me and cursed under my breath, knowing that my stupidity caused me to lose some time. **

** I swept the dead grass into a pile in the middle of the path and threw the sticks on top of it. Then I stood facing the hellhound, nothing but the small pile of grass and sticks separating us. I stared at the hellhound as it raced toward me, waiting for just the right moment. It was scary to have a huge hound racing down at high speed right toward you. As it got close, I closed my eyes and took a quick but deep breath. When I opened my eyes, a huge flame had erupted in between me and the hound. At first I thought I had miscalculated, but then the hellhound let out a loud whine and backed away quickly, holding its front paw above the road. The paw was covered in flames, burning the hound. It whimpered before turning to the shadows of the trees and running, disappearing as it almost went head first with one of the trees.**

** I was breathing hard. The flames in front of me were dying down as the grasses and sticks were being burned up. All my energy had gone into producing that flame. I almost passed out from exhaustion when I staggered back to where I had left my bag. I picked up the bag and walked down to the nearest bench, collapsing onto it as soon as I dropped my bag on the ground. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I could not seem to catch my breath. When demigods use their powers, it can take a lot out of them. Just producing that one flame caused me to almost pass out. Luckily, I was pretty strong. I pulled a water bottle out of my bag. After drinking some water, I pulled out some ambrosia and bit a corner off of it. Ambrosia is the food of the gods. Demigods can have small doses to heal us, but if we have too much of it, it could kill us. We had to be careful with it, but lucky for me I had at least remembered to bring some with me. I knew all too well what could go wrong when demigods walked around alone. I took some of the left over water and poured it slowly over my knee, dabbing it with a bandana I had in my bag. I cleaned the wound as best as I could, but it was still leaking blood when I ran out of water. I tied the bandana around my knee as a kind of bandage. It would have to do until I could make it to Camp. **

** I stayed on the bench for about half an hour, resting, healing, and watching as the people started to appear on the path. When I felt healed enough and ready to go, I slowly got off the bench and picked up my suitcase, swinging it over my shoulder before turning to walk down the path. I decided I'd had enough of walking around alone for today. I walked back the way I had come from and out onto the street, hailing a taxi. When I finally got one, I quickly got in. I didn't want to risk being attacked again.**

** Luckily, the driver didn't ask too many questions. He gave me a pretty weird look when I first got in, glancing from the dirt on my face to the holes in my shirt and pants and finally to the bandana around my knee. I told him where to let me off and, although he didn't seem too happy about the hour long drive, the only question he bothered asking was why I wanted to be let off on the side of the road.**

** "Kid, there's nothing around. You sure this is the right place?" The cabbie asked when we got there, looking around skeptically. **

** "Yeah, this is definitely the place. Thanks man!" I threw a wad of cash at the cabbie and jumped out of the cab, eager to get to the camp. I heard the driver curse as he turned the cab around and speed away. I started walking swiftly up the hill, not so fast that I hurt myself, but fast enough. I would usually sprint up the hill, but I was obviously in no kind of condition to do that right now. I looked down at my clothes. The pre-ripped holes in my jeans had been made bigger. My black t-shirt looked tattered and now had holes of its own in it. My shiny boots were now dull and dirty. The bandana around my knee was soaked with blood. I looked like I had been beaten up. Stupid hellhound.**

** I made it to the crest of the hill where the huge pine tree stood, the Golden Fleece hanging off the lowest branch. A purple dragon with yellow eyes was curled around the trunk of the tree. He lifted his head when I made it to the top of the hill. I walked up to him, patting his side. **

**"Hey Peleus, nice to see you again." I said with a smile. The camp attained Peleus to guard the Golden Fleece from anyone who could try and steal it. I lowered my hand and walked past the tree, stopping just inside of the magical borders. I looked around, taking in the beautiful sight of the huge valley that was Camp Half-blood.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is kind of long, but I needed to build some character relationships. Enjoy and review please! :)**

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**Chapter 3:**

** I could smell the strawberry fields and hear the sounds of the satyrs - half goat, half man - running in the fields, playing songs on their pipes that made the plants grow. I walked past the volleyball court, where one of my best friend Dylan Reed was playing volleyball with some other campers. I waved at him as I kept walking towards the cabins where the campers stayed.**

** There were twelve cabins set up in a horseshoe shape. These are the cabins of the twelve Olympian gods. Around these cabins were multiple others, the cabins of the minor gods. Most gods have a cabin here. If a camper were to come to camp and be claimed by a god that didn't have a cabin, a cabin would be built for that god. Campers stay in the cabins designated to their Olympian parent. I walked over to the Ares Cabin, a badly painted cabin that was bright red. I hated being related to whoever did the paint job on this cabin. It also had a boar's head, another symbol of my father, fastened to the wall above the door. I shook my head and walked inside. Walking over the right side of the cabin, I set my bag on a bunk that had my name, Kyle Scott, in Greek written over it in red letters. Bellow that was the words Ares Cabin Counselor, also in Greek. Being counselor to these bullies kinda sucked. I felt like I always had to keep them in line. They're just a bunch of punks. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad this year. I noticed that there weren't many other people who have arrived yet, as over half of the cabin was clear of stuff. One new girl was sitting on her bunk, going over a battle strategy for capture the flag. She looked up as I was putting my stuff away.**

** "Hi. I'm Emma. I just got here a couple months ago. A-are you okay?" She said, looking at my bruises and my bloody knee.**

** "Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine. Uh, I'm Kyle, your senior counselor." I said looking back at the girl.**

** "Oh, so ****_you're_**** the kid everyone talks about."**

** "What?"**

** "Well, no offence Kyle but I think our siblings kind of hate you. They call you a loner and a buzz kill. And they say you don't deserve to be head counselor." She set down the map of the camp she was holding.**

** "Oh, yeah I kinda knew that already… Well where is everyone?" I asked, motioning to the empty room.**

** "I don't know, I guess most people haven't arrived for the summer yet." She shrugged. "They'll be here soon." She went back to her planning. I turned back around and finished unpacking, placing my empty suitcase underneath my bed. Then I took a deep breath and decided to go find my friend Grace. **

** I walked back outside and immediately noticed a girl of about fifteen with long and wavy sandy blonde hair. She was knelt down in front of what looked like a white timber wolf puppy, as if she was talking to it. Although I couldn't see her face, I knew that she had bright blue eyes and was one of the most beautiful girls at camp. I walked straight up to her, as quiet as possible, with a half-smile on my face. **

** "A gift from your aunt, I assume?" She looked up at me and a smile washed over her face.**

** "KYLE! Oh my gods I have missed you sooo much!" She exclaimed as she stood up and threw her arms around my broad shoulders, pulling me into a surprisingly strong hug for her small build. "What the heck happened to you? You look like you have been in a fight with the Minotaur or something." She said, chuckling. **

** "Wow, Olivia, I have missed you too and uh yeah I got attacked by a hound on my way here, but I took care of it." I said with a wink before glancing down at the wolf pup in front of me, "So what's up with the, uh, wolf?"**

** "Oh. You were right. Artemis is relentless. She is trying to bribe me into joining the hunt before my mind is 'overrun by dirty boys'. First the bow, which I love by the way," Olivia said, glancing up at the sky, "and now Wolf here. And yes, his name is really Wolf." Olivia is a daughter of Apollo, the sun god. His twin sister Artemis, goddess of the hunt, favors Olivia over all of Apollo's daughters, almost treating Olivia as her own because she has no children. She has been trying to convince Olivia to join the Hunt since she came to camp and was claimed by Apollo two years ago.**

** "What good is he gonna do you?" I asked glancing at the small dog in front of me. Wolf growled and nipped at my feet.**

** "Calm down Wolf," Wolf immediately stopped, "he can be used to summon the wolves of the hunt. Whenever I am in need, all I need to do is command Wolf to howl and the other wolves will come to my rescue. He is a great companion too." She said with a smile. I could tell that she was happy to have this young wolf by her side.**

** "Well okay then. Hey, do you know where Grace is?" I asked, a little anxious as to why I hadn't seen her yet.**

** "Hmm, I don't know. Haven't seen her all day. Why don't you go to the arena, I'm sure she will find you there." **

** "Okay, worth a shot. Thanks Olivia, it was good seeing you! See ya later." I called as I sprinted off to the arena, ignoring the screaming in my leg. **

** The arena is this huge area that was mostly used for sword practice, but it seemed pretty empty when I got there. The only people in sight were a young boy from Athena's cabin being bullied by one of my half-brothers. Ares' kids were the biggest bullies around. I tried to distance myself from my siblings as much as possible. I rolled my eyes as the huge boy from my cabin took the glasses off the younger boy and threw them on the ground. Then he took the boys hat out of his back pocket, considering it for a moment before tossing it aside. He pushed the kid onto the ground and was about to step on his glasses, but I couldn't take seeing my sad excuse for a brother pick on a defenseless kid. I walked up to the boy, who I could now see was Erik, a boy who was a year younger than me but was claimed the same summer I was, and pushed his shoulder back, sending him sprawling on the ground as I was much stronger than him.**

** "Get lost, Erik." I said with a fierce voice.**

** "What the heck Kyle?" Erik stood up, brushing the dirt off of his shirt, "I was just having some fun with the new Athena boy, isn't that right four-eyes?" He looked at the younger boy in a taunting way.**

** "I… Uh... He..." The boy stammered as he reached out for his glasses.**

** "I said leave, Erik. Go start a fight with the archers or something and leave the new kid alone." I stared Erik down. His smile faltered before returning to the same smirk that I always have.**

** "Sticking up for the new kid, huh? What right do you have to tell me what to do?"**

** "Let's see. I'm older than you, stronger than you, and I could burn you to a crisp before you could say Ares. Oh, and I'm Senior Counselor. Need I go on?" **

**"Oh please, it looks like someone's already beaten you up today. You need me to give a little more pain to finish the day off?" Erik stated with unbelievable confidence. He looked up at me, his brown eyes boring straight into my black ones. I held the stare, not daring to be the one to break it. I had to be the one to show my dominance. **

**Without breaking eye contact, I flicked my hand out to the side, igniting it into a little ball of flame that seemed to consume my hand. I could see the flames flicker in Erik's eyes as he broke contact, glancing around for witnesses. Noticing nobody was here except us, he slowly started backing up. I could see fear flicker across his face.**

** "I-I'm sorry Kyle. R-really. I'll l-leave him a-l-lone. I-I p-promise." He managed to stammer out before turning around and bolting away. I closed my hand, extinguishing the flame and turned to look at the boy, extending my hand to help him up. He flinched, thinking my hand might catch fire again before realizing I was trying to help him and grabbed my hand. I pulled him up and swooped back down to pick up his hat. It had and owl embroidered into it. The owl is a symbol for the goddess Athena, the boy's mother. **

** "Here you go kid," I handed him the hat, "Forget about Erik. Actually forget about all my siblings... They're stupid. Trust me; camp is a lot better than that. Let me know if any of my cabin mates attack you again."**

** "Thanks." He took the hat and walked passed me towards the cabins. **

** I sighed. I hated being in this 'family'. Being a child of Ares is not a compliment. While the title comes with power and strength, it also comes with a reputation, one that I don't want to be associated with. **

** I decided to brush it off and let off some steam. I rolled a practice dummy into the middle of the circle arena. I stood about 30 feet away and rubbed my hands together to warm them up. I was kind of an outcast with my siblings, as I have powers that a child of Ares has never shown, at least as far as we know. They were all jealous that I got better powers than they did. Of course I always came back with the retort that maybe if they weren't such big bullies all the time, Dad would have given them better powers, as if the Gods get to choose what powers are passed down to their half mortal offspring. **

** I stood with my feet about a foot apart and held out my right hand, palm up. Suddenly, a small flame appeared in my palm. It just sat there, slightly moving with the wind. I looked at the practice dummy and considered something for a moment. Then I threw the flame like it was a baseball and sent it soaring toward the dummy at 70 miles per hour. The flame landed on the head of the dummy and set the whole thing ablaze. I smiled to myself, knowing that this was my greatest power, a power only ever seen in a child of Hephaestus, the god of the forges and the god of fire. I started another flame in my hand and tossed it up and down like a tennis ball. I was enjoying myself. I didn't usually get to have fun like this in the real world, where there are mortal witnesses around. **

** All of a sudden, the fireball in my hand went out. I looked side to side, confused. Then a spray of water extinguished the dummy. Now I was getting angry. I could feel my face getting hot as my vision became red around the edges. Somehow I knew my eyes were becoming flames behind my sunglasses. **

** "Alright, whoever is messing with my training is about to get it!" I exclaimed as I looked from side to side, preparing to turn around to see who was putting out my flames.**

** "Cool it, Hot Head." A familiar voice came from behind me. I turned all the way around and my anger just vanished. My face returned to its normal shade and my vision also returned to normal. I stared at the girl in front of me. She was about 6 inches shorter than me, with short, jet black hair and deep green eyes, almost like the sea. She had a huge grin on her face as she glared at me from across the arena. She wore board shorts that came down to her knees and a bright orange Camp Half-blood t-shirt. I could see her pen sticking out of her shorts pocket with a little charm dangling from it that showed a trident engulfed in flames. **

** "Grace." I said with a smile. I was speechless. It had been almost a year since I last saw her. She was more beautiful now than the last time we met, if that was even possible. **

** "Kyle. Looking like you just got into a fight. What else is new?" She laughed, eying my appearance, "Well? Are you just gonna stand there and stare at me or are you gonna come over here and give your best friend a hug?" She asked jokingly as she spread her arms wide.**

** I jogged over to her and embraced her, picking her up off the ground in my excitement. We stood in that hug longer than we normally would have, but it was so amazing to see her again. We were still embracing when our friends Dylan and Olivia came walking down the hill, hand in hand with smiles on their faces. **

** "Well, well, well, what do we have here Dylan? Our best friends just can't keep their hands off of each other!" Olivia laughed and nudged Dylan's arm with her elbow. **

** "Oh Olivia you are such a riot. Not. Now shut up and come give me a hug." Grace said as we pulled a part and she hugged Olivia. Grace and Olivia have been friends since they both came to camp at age 12. They were both year-rounders, but Grace had been spending some time with her father under the ocean, so she hadn't seen Olivia in a couple of months. While Olivia and Grace were hugging and giggling like little school girls, I walked over to Dylan. **

** Dylan has bleach blonde hair that falls perfectly across his face. He has a line of faint freckles going across the bridge of his nose and the tops of his cheeks. He was shirtless, of course. As a son of Aphrodite, he is slightly obsessed with his looks and his own body. But he's not nearly as bad as his siblings. He wore khaki cargo shorts with his white t-shirt tucked in his back pocket. His skin was perfectly tanned. We were practically complete opposites, and yet best friends all the same. We met when we both came here three years ago. We arrived the year before the Titan War. We were thrown together while training and stuck up for each other. We have been best friends ever since. **

** "Hey man, so what exactly happened to you today? Trouble getting here?" He asked, giving me a look over.**

** "Ah, you know. Just a small brush with a hellhound, nothing too bad." I joked, chuckling as I avoided how terrified I was and how huge that hound was.**

**"Looks like you took care of him. I would hate to see what you did to that poor hound." He said.**

**"Yeah, it was pretty bad dude. So, how's it going man?" I asked as I gave him a hug and we turned to watch the girls talk about stuff that guys could care less about.**

** "Pretty good dude. I noticed you and Grace had a, uh, moment over there. What's up with that?" He asked with a huge goofy grin on his face as he nodded in Grace's direction.**

** "Nothing. I haven't seen her in almost a year. I hugged Olivia earlier too. You gonna say something about that?" I asked with a laugh. Dylan and Olivia kind of had a thing going on. That realization made me remember how they looked walking down the hill towards me and Grace. "What's up with you and Olivia? I saw you guys holding hands as you walked down here" He noticed that I discarded the comment about me and Grace. I mean, yeah, she's beautiful. But I have known her since I was 13, so it was hard to think of her as anything other than my best friend. **

** "We started dating in December. I don't know what happened. One day we were having a snowball fight in the perfect snow that Chiron allowed to fall, and the next day we were walking into the dining pavilion and we noticed some mistletoe hanging from the arch. We kinda joked about it being there, then she looks into my eyes and she just kisses me, right there under the mistletoe. It wasn't that big of a deal, but I swear that stuff followed us around everywhere. We always found ourselves under the mistletoe. And, well, we just kinda started dating. I have never realized how amazing she was before." He glimpsed at Olivia quickly and smiled, he cheeks turning slightly red. I looked over at the girls, and by the way Olivia's face was lit up, I could tell that they were talking about the exact same thing. Grace glanced over at us and smiled. I returned her smile before turning back to Dylan.**

** "Oh and happy birthday by the way." Dylan said, nudging my shoulder and handing me an envelope. It was decorated with little flame stickers that looked like they had come out of a happy meal. I opened it and saw a birthday card inside. "Your birthday is today, right? Or do I have my dates mixed up?"**

** "No, you're right. I almost forgot. My mom didn't even tell me happy birthday when I left this morning." I turned away from Dylan. I am not usually emotional, but when it came to my mom's neglect, well it can get to me. I prayed to the Gods to take care of my brother James while I'm gone.**

** Grace glanced over and saw the envelope in my hand and totally dropped the conversation she was having. She gave Olivia the one minute sign than came over and pulled me off to the side. Dylan went forward to talk to Olivia, looking a little confused as to why Grace suddenly pulled me away. I stuffed the envelope in my pocket as Grace came to a stop a few yards away from where we were standing before.**

** "Are you okay? I know your birthday is a... difficult subject for you. But if it makes it any better, come by my cabin after dinner tonight. I have a birthday present for you." She tried to comfort me, but it was hard for anyone to do. **

** "I'll be okay." I said, looking away from Grace as she rubbed my back in a calming way. I didn't mean to be so cut off, but I hated feeling vulnerable and weak. I stepped away from her, breaking the contact between us. Her arm dropped to her side as I started toward Dylan and Olivia. She followed me and we walked back over to our friends, who were in an in depth conversation about what they wanted to do this summer. We joined in the conversation, though I was a bit more reserved now after being reminded of my birthday. **

** Suddenly, a bright light shown for a split second. We all covered our eyes, knowing that it was a God appearing, and anyone who sees a God in their divine form would disintegrate from all the power. When the light subdued, we all looked up to see a huge man in a black leather jacket and biker boots. He had wraparound sunglasses on that hid his fiery eyes. His hair was trimmed in a neat crew cut. I saw my friends glance at each other out of the corner of my eyes, which stayed fixated on the huge figure in front of me. I recognized him immediately. He was Ares, god of war, my father.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter. Sorry it's been so long since I uploaded, computer was broken. Please read and review! Thanks!**

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Chapter 4:

"Father." I said, giving him a slight nod as my three friends backed away a little bit. He gave me a stern look.

"Haven't seen me in three years and all you have to say is 'father'? And what the hell happened to you? You been in a fight already?" He didn't wait for my answer before continuing, "Come here son, and give your old man a hug." He chuckled as he held out his arms. I stayed right where I was. I wasn't about to show affection to a father who never cared about me.

"What do you want?"

"A father has to want something to visit his own kid?"

"You always have before. You never come for just a visit. You're not that kind of God."

"Well fine, smartass. I came to wish you a happy sixteenth birthday. Quite an achievement for a young demigod. I do not wish anything of you, son. I come bearing a gift."

"Oh really?" I said with a smirk; his smirk, "Gone a little soft have you Ares. Bringing gifts to your kids now. Boy do I feel special." I said, faking enthusiasm. I knew I had to be careful about what I said to the Gods, but being in his presence made me a little more angry than usual. Ares had that effect on people.

"Watch it kid. Here," He handed me a black backpack, decorated with a skull and flames.

"A backpack? You came all the way down from Olympus to give your sixteen year old son a backpack that looks like it's for 6 year-olds? Wow maybe I should go home and give it to my little brother James, he would love this." Man I was laying the sarcasm on thick. If I didn't watch it, Ares was gonna blow me to smithereens.

"Okay kid, one more remark and your never gonna see the light of day again. And you can forget about anymore magical gifts coming your way. This bag can morph. Make it a backpack or make it a necklace, I could care less. But this is a magical backpack. In a time of need it will supply you with what you need. Whether it's a weapon, or survival gear. It can also hold anything you need to put in it without running out of room. It is very valuable, and I trust you with it. You know, none of my other kids would dare stand up to me. But you don't care do you? Well, I should go. Take care, son, and try not to get yourself killed." And with that he turned and walked away, slowly dissolving into the air until there was nothing left. I stood there for a minute, staring at the spot where he had disappeared.

"Hmm, he was nicer than usual, don't you think." I stated, turning towards my friends. They stared at me like I was crazy, or like my head was on fire, which it might have been. "What?" I asked, a little meaner than I meant to.

"Kyle, you can't talk to a God like that, even your father. If Ares had lost his cool for even a second, you would have been incinerated before you could say 'Help'." Grace said. You could tell she was scared for me. Her eyes were heavy with worry and fear, like she thought that Ares would appear out of nowhere and strike me down.

"I'm sorry, but he just makes me so, errrggg. I don't know what to say to him other than being sarcastic. It's just his presence. A little help would have been nice, Dylan." I glared at Dylan. He looked back with an apologetic look on his face. Dylan has the powers to control emotions, a very rare power for anyone, even a child of Aphrodite. Aphrodite kids could sometimes charmspeak, which is a rare power to pretty much talk people into doing whatever you want, which is kind of similar to Dylan's power, but no one else that we know can do what he can do. He was unique, like me.

"Sorry. I was just... um... surprised by Ares showing up just to give you that bag. Sorry bro." Dylan looked away, but I could tell he felt bad about not helping me out.

"It's not Dylan's fault Kyle. You know that he was intimidated. You know how Ares makes people feel." Olivia walked up to Dylan and grabbed his hand. I started to feel bad for hurting his feelings. I knew it wasn't his fault; it was my father's.

"Sorry Dylan. You know how... difficult I can be. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You know what Ares can do to your emotions, you can feel the anger he plants in people's minds."

"It's okay Kyle. Let's just go do something. Does Chiron know you're here?" Dylan said, taking his white V-neck out of his back pocket and pulling it on. I could tell he was anxious to get as far away from the topic of Ares as possible.

"No. I better go check in with him. Meet you guys at the volleyball court?" I said picking up the weightless backpack.

"Yeah." Dylan and Olivia said in unison as they turned to walk down to the court. Grace stayed where she was, still looking at me in a worried way, wondering if I was okay after the events that had just unfolded.

"I haven't checked in yet either, I'll come with you. And while we're at it, we should definitely get that knee looked at." She dropped her gaze and walked past me, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the big, two-story blue house that stood in the middle of camp.


End file.
